a little bit country (club), a little bit rock and roll

details:

cropped sersucker pants~old navy

t shirt/scarf/blazer~f21

bucks~crewcuts~jcrew

happy friday!!! i can't believe this is my last weekend before the wedding! i suddenly feel like i have a million things to do. the last thing i wanted to do this morning was try to put together something fantastic to wear. the goal of today was comfort. but, a funny thing happened when i went in the closet this morning. despite my blah mood, i got a little bit inspired. i adore these seersucker pants and kind of wanted to push myself to style them in a way that was different from the way i normally wear them. i remembered i bought this t shirt a few weeks ago. blue and red is a favorite color combination. it was a little boring so i added the studded belt and the scarf. i decided to play up the attraction of opposites by pulling out these too cute bucks from crewcuts. the black jacket with scrunched sleeves gives it a little more attitude. i'm really thrilled with my crazy preppy-rock-comfort look:)

it's my last full day of work before the wedding. it's hard to concentrate:) have a lovely weekend!

flower bomb

details:

chambray shirt~miley cyrus for wal-mart

skirt~f21

shoes~bronx wedges

so i dashed into the seventh circle of hell, er, i mean wal-mart yesterday to get trash bags and laundry detergent and as i was headed to the checkout i spotted this chambray shirt. i'm not really sure how i feel about the whole denim workshirt resurgence. the first time they were popular was when i was pregnant with my oldest daughter. i remember wearing one through most of my pregnancy! anyway for $10 i decided to jump on the bandwagon. i think it looks great with this floral skirt from f21 and my new super comfy wedges. i can't sing the praises of these shoes enough!

this afternoon my daughter is taking her driving test! another bittersweet milestone. i'm happy she's growing up but sad that she's no longer my baby:(

update~she passed! she is officially hitting the open road:o

ps~i can't stop singing that party in the usa song~damn you miley cyrus!!!

rushed

details:

dress~ anthro

cardigan/belt~f21

necklace~anthro

shoes~bronx wedges~endless.com

woo-hoo it's wednesday! the week is half over and i can't wait for the weekend. my brain is in vacation mode so getting anything done lately is a huge struggle. after i dropped the kids off at school this morning i came home and crawled back into bed. i literally got up 15 minutes before i needed to leave...yikes!! as a result i grabbed the first dress i saw off the hanger. i guess everything came together ok. i ordered these shoes from endless. i was searching for a pair of brown/tan wedges to take with me on the honeymoon. they need to be comfy and give me some height. i think the search is over. i wore these all day and no problem with my feet or knees. i love the color and they are super comfy.

thank you for all the compliments on our engagement pictures:) have a lovely afternoon!

we've been blogged!

our awesome and talented photographer, ashley steele bowyer, just blogged the pictures from our engagement session. i'm over the moon in love with these pictures! seeing them makes me super excited for the wedding day. what so you think?






*click on her name to go the website*

seniorita

details:
blouse~anthropologie from last summer
skirt~f21
shoes~jessica simpson
belt~anthro snakebite

i was a little bit inspired by this outfit worn by dea of the
dea diaries one of her commenters observed that had a little bit of a spanish vibe to it. i decided to channel that in my own outfit today:) i bought this top on sale at anthro last summer and wasn't sure if i liked it but once i got it home i fell in love with the golden color. i usually wear it with jeans but i really like how it looks paired with the skirt. i found this skirt at f21 two summers ago. it is almost identical to one i bought at anthro in yellow. for some reason i really love pairing black and brown. it was one of those fashion rules that i was trained not to break as a child. ha! this morning when i left doug told me i looked very spanish...hmm if he picked up on it maybe i took the inspiration too literally:)

i want to thank everyone for their comments about my rehearsal dinner outfit. i hope to have a post tomorrow about what i actually ended up getting to wear. have a happy tuesday!

spring greens

details:

dress~anthropologie

cardigan~express

belt~forever21

shoes~jessica simpson

happy monday! how was your weekend? friday night my girls took me out for a night on the town. we had a blast and i spent all of saturday recovering:D i have to say lounging around all day doing absolutely nothing felt a little bit decadent. yesterday doug and i went down to findlay market. it's right in the heart of downtown and they have organic and local fruits and veggies, locally sourced beef, bakeries, flower stalls, etc. last week i got stuck next to one of those pig trucks in traffic. i was literally sick to my stomach. it made me start questioning my diet and the amount of meat we consume. i would like to go all the way vegetarian but i'm not sure that would go over to well in my household. i have committed to making at least three meatless meals a week for the family. last night after coming home from the market i felt inspired in the kitchen. i made a spring a vegetable risotto with asparagus, peas, and string beans. i wasn't sure the family would like it but they loved it! tonight i want to do something with the beautiful red peppers we bought.

i'm not feeling particularly creative about wardrobe lately but you can't leave the house naked:0 this is what i managed to come up with. the dress is from anthro from last year. i love the colors and the pattern. i threw on the green cardi and my go to shoes of late and out the door!

tonight i get to pick up my dress!! oh how i've missed her:) have a wonderful monday!

would you wear this?

i'm pretty sure this is what i've settled on for the rehearsal dinner...maybe. the salty seas dress from anthropologie. i have shoes similar to this(black, strappy and platform). i would love to wear a hat but i'm not sure. thoughts? yay? nay? woman you'll look ridiculous?

hello sunshine

details:

blouse~jcrew

necklace~anthropologie

jeans~the gap

wedges~bakers

hello! it's a gorgeous day! nothing says happy like the color yellow. i've always loved this color. when i was little my bedroom was decorated in sunny yellow and blue with holly hobby curtains and a matching comforter. good lord, i seriously dated myself with that reference. i don't think my kids know who holly hobby is but she was bees knees back in the seventies:)

anyway my love of yellow goes way back. when i spied this top in jcrew i died!! despite it's ri-dunk-ulous price i jumped on it(not waiting for it to go on sale). it's been a favorite for the last two summers. i will probably wear this shirt until it falls apart. it's a bit sheer so i had to put a cami on underneath to make it office appropriate. i think i bought these jeans at the gap outlet about six or seven years ago. i wanted a pair of ankle length white jeans but couldn't find any i liked so i bought a cheap pair cut them at the bottom and wear them cuffed. these wedges were an impulse buy. the sales girl talked me into trying them on. they are so comfortable. i'd sort of forgotten about them but i unearthed them in the closet this morning and threw them on this morning.

i have a busy afternoon of meetings trying to nail down the final details for the big day:) i'm hoping to make it home in time to lay out by the pool(my honey opened our pool this week..it's not warm enough to swim yet!) and read before it gets dark.

lazy sunday

we spent part of the day at a park near our house scouting locations for the wedding pictures. it was a perfect day!

going brogue

details:

cardigan~anthropologie

tunic~bebe

jeans~jcrew skinnies

necklace~target

brogues~boutique9~gilt

finally friday!!! i don't have much to post. i'm not really in the best of moods. i didn't sleep well. then i logged on to facebook and a friend(an actual friend not just a six degrees of separation facebook friend) left a comment on my wall that was hurtful or not constructive at the very least. oh, facebook why can't i quit you!!

i have a quick stop in the office and i'm off for the rest of the afternoon. i hope my mood gets better. anyway, quick outfit deets. yes, these are the same jeans i wore yesterday. and, yes, they may become my new favs despite my daughter's insistence that they were floods! this tunic is four or five years old. it was when bebe was having one of their "not everyone wants to look like a kardashian sister" moments. i adore it. i saved it even when weight gain made it impossible to wear. i'm so glad it fits again. i'm trying to stick to my word about giving my feet and knees a rest and wearing flats. i love the brogues trend but i wasn't sure if it was a look for me. my legs are short and a little thick so i feel like i tend to look stumpy in flats. gilt was having a fab sale and i really loved the metallic sheen and the fact that these were laceless. they were sold out of my usual size 7 so i sized down to a 6.5. these fit perfectly. they are so comfy and easy to slide on. my feet are happy campers right now:)

have a wonderful weekend!

well rehearsed

i already bought a dress for the rehearsal dinner but i'm not loving the way i look in it so i'm returning it. i'm now considering these two options.

i'm in love with the first one. i love the whimsy of the lobster print. and there's the whole lobster mating for life thing which is nerdy but sweet.

blue is one of the colors we're using in the wedding and i love the full skirt of the second one. the rehearsal dinner is at our favorite bistro. it's not super fancy so i think either dress would be appropriate and they both come in petite(which is usually a deciding factor in anthro dresses). i'm not usually this indecisive. i love them both but the budget is bursting at the seams so i have to make a choice:(

casual thursday

details:

striped button down shirt/belt~f21

skinny ankle jeans~jcrew

cardigan~f21

suede bucks~jcrew crewcuts

triple strand pearls~target

leather satchel~anthropologie

hello all! i feel strangely "in the zone" this week. i have to admit that i'm a big procrastinator and that it causes me a lot of undue stress and worry. i think i may be turning over a new leaf. i've been on the ball getting wedding related and non wedding related tasks accomplished. i think i finally realized that with so much going on the next few months it would be catastrophic to put things off until the very last minute.

no work today but lots of errands to run. i've been having some trouble with my feet and knee lately. i may have to lay off the high heels for a week or so(ha! famous last words). anyway while i was browsing the jcrew website a few weeks ago i noticed they had bucks in the crewcuts section. one of the benefits of having smaller feet is that i can sometimes get shoes in kids sizes:) i have to tell you i adore bucks!!! i wore them in high school my junior and senior year everyday with my uniform. i'm sure my fascination with them is based in nostalgia. i'm so happy that i bought them. they are perfect to throw on and kick around town. i guess i'm having a quasi preppy fashion moment this week, yesterday with my anthro striped sweater and today with the bucks, the cardigan and the pearls. i was also hunting for a pair of skinny cropped jeans and found them at jcrew. i like the fit and the cut but i'm not so sure about the color. i feel like it's that weird in between color denim. i may have to dye them darker. i realize that i never photograph my bags. i used to be one of those that switched out my bag everyday and that got to be a bit much. i've now started purchasing more expensive bags that i can carry all the time. i was looking for a really nice brown or tan bag. of course, i found it at anthro...on sale..score! it is so soft and slouchy and pefect. at the same time i bought this bag i ordered one from jcrew that i love. however, i haven't been able to part with this one just yet:) i'm hoping the new jcrew bag will make it's debut soon.

have a lovely almost friday:)

spring flowers

today was one of those perfect spring days. the weather was warm and breezy. i love the way the air feels right before it rains. i took these pictures today when i was hanging out in the yard.

red stripe

details:

top~dress worn as top~f21

skirt~f21

cardigan~ field game cradigan~anthropologie

belt~snakebite belt~anthro

shoes~jessica simpson

happy hump day!! im sorry about the lack of posting but the closer it gets to wedding day the busier my days get:( yesterday we took engagement pictures with our super sweet photographer. it was an interesting experience. i hate having my picture taken and so does doug. which is weird for me since i take pictures of myself almost everyday. we are kind of awkward together in front of the camera and i'm never happy with the way i look. i was apprehensive to have them taken but since they're included in our picture package we decided to go for it. we had a blast walking the streets of downtown cincinnati. i can't wait to see how they turn out. i have to say it was one of our best "engaged couple" moments. it's not hard to have that whole love haze thing going on when your man is looking at you adoringly, giving you kisses and holding your hand:P

i actually wore this sweater last night in the pics and loved it so much i had to find a way to wear it today. i discovered this morning that i have a missing piece in my closet-a simple ivory tank. just as i was getting ready to scrap the idea of wearing this adorable cardi i remembered that i had this red dress. it's a bubble dress and it's way too big now so i wasn't sure if i would be able to layer the skirt over it. gotta say....i love how it turned out. this skirt was a late night surfing the internet purchase. i'm nervous with ruffles and tiers on the bottom half of me because i have a curvier bottom half and i'm never quite sure if i'm going to add bulk in all the wrong places. i adore this skirt. i'm also pretty happy with the quality of the f21 twelve by twelve and love collections.

we are having lovely weather here so i'm off to enjoy it:)

friday, i'm in love!

details:
skirt~f21~twelvebytwelve collection
top~h&m
shoes~steve madden
necklace~f21
headband~anthropologie

maybe it's all of the sunshine, but i can't stop smiling and dancing around! a small disagreement with my oldest daughter didn't even damper my mood:)

i'm adoring this cute little top i found at h&m. i've been seeing striped tees all over the magazines but haven't found one that i liked until i stumbled on this one. and at $10 i may go back and get every color! i saw this skirt on the f21 website and loved the color but i wasn't sure if it would work on me for some reason. i love it! i am a little dressed up today but i definitely see wearing this skirt with flats or flat sandals this summer. it also has an elastic waistband(which can be useful on some days, if you know what i mean)

i made it through the end of the week and i'm trying to convince some of my friends to celebrate it at happy hour. have a lovely weekend and a happy easter!


just because it's friday and i'm in love!

in the garden

i was dying for these two dresses from the h&m in the garden collection. i think the white one is more my style but the colorful kimono is soo vivid and whimsical! of course the didn't have them at my local store. i don't know if i got there too late or if they never had these two particular styles. i was a little disappointed...my wallet was not:0 i guess it wasn't meant to be. in 24 days the zac posen for target line debuts and you can count on me being all over that!

roman holiday

details:

dress~two wheeler shirt dress~anthropologie

belt~snakebite belt ~anthropologie

shoes~steve madden spectator peep toe platforms

necklaces~ f21

happy thursday! i can't tell you what a gorgeous day it is here in cincinnati! this morning on way in to work i stopped at trader joes and got the most beautiful assortment of flowers. i made a small arrangement for my office and i can't wait to go home and arrange the rest. yesterday we met with the minister that's going to officiate our ceremony. i think i had one of those "ommygodit'sreallyhappening!!!" moments and got a little choked up. i'm excited for the party obviously but after meeting with the minister i'm even more excited about the ceremony and how personal it will be. tonight i'm meeting with the florist. aside from the groom and the dress, i'm most excited about the flowers!

enough gushing...on to the outfit! i fell in love with dress in the catalog and after buying the reed shirtdress i'm obsessed with shirtdresses in general. i decided to go ahead and order this one as well. i'm so happy i did. i love the whimsical bicycle print and the sweet little cap sleeves. i cinched in the waist with my brown snakebite belt and for a little color i added these funky steve madden spectators. i feel a little like audrey hepburn in roman holiday! all i'm missing is cary grant on a vespa(and a gellato...a gellato sounds so good right now!)

have a lovely afternoon!